ASEAN Tag

As Myanmar begins its year as ASEAN chair, it will to deal with a whole gamut of issues facing the organisation. Given that this is its first time chairing the regional body, the international community will closely watch its performance.
Gearing up for a full year...

The United States’ economic recovery and its debt ceiling topped a survey conducted among 28 Asia experts, business leaders and economists, with more than 60 per cent of respondents voting for the global issue as one they would be keeping the most tabs on in...

In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, two key buzzwords that conveyed the essence of the recovery strategy were “unconventional monetary policy” and “the new normal”.
The developed world would pump up credit and lower interest rates to try to resuscitate failing companies and...

More than a month after Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, human casualties are still being counted and 3.88 million people are without permanent homes.
Government efforts, earlier criticised for being too slow, are underway and multinational assistance has been ramped up. The economic and political consequences...

Mr President,
Congratulations on handling the domestic crisis of the government shutdown and debt ceiling. The problem will recur, but most see you as a winner for holding your ground. Now, about that trip you cancelled to Asia.
Yes, Secretary of State John Kerry filled in but,...

More attention was given to United States President Barack Obama’s late decision to cancel his trip to Asia than to what the region did without him. This is testimony to America’s enduring power and the President’s prestige.
Focus intensified also because of the circumstances that triggered...

American President Barack Obama was due to tour Asia next week to attend two key multilateral summits and visit two other countries — Malaysia and the Philippines. The White House initially described this as an “on-going commitment”, building on the American pivot to emphasise ties...

Some fear that Indonesia is heading for a crisis. Growth in the second quarter dropped below 6 per cent. Deficits in both the current account and trade widened markedly. The rupiah fell some 10 per cent last month to its lowest level against the US...

Rising tensions in the South China Sea have changed the tenor of recent relations between the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China from cooperation to potential conflict.
Yet, there is now agreement to begin consultations on a Code of Conduct. Since his appointment, Chinese...

Japan has received more attention and generated more optimism in the first six months of 2013 than perhaps during all of the preceding six years. This has been triggered by the return of Shinzo Abe as prime minister of Japan for a second time and...